


Never Again

by alafaye



Series: 2017 December works [74]
Category: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 08:10:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13162830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: It's the day after Christmas and already Holmes has lost his gift.





	Never Again

**Author's Note:**

> This is day 26 of the newyearcntdown challenge and the prompt 'rebirth'. And for the monthly prompt of 'an animal and precious metal' at holmes-minor (though I cannot post there as I exceeded their word limit!).

Watson sighed and tapped his fingers on the edge of the table. Holmes raised an eyebrow, but didn't look away from watching Gladstone.

"Explain this to me," Watson asked quietly.

Holmes hummed. "I wish that everyone in London would learn to be more specific when they ask questions."

Watson crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, crossing his feet at the ankles. Gladstone raised one of his droopy eyebrows, but it quickly fell when he realized that his humans wouldn't be doing anything else. Watson shook his head.

"Ah, of course," Holmes said. "You are watching me watch Gladstone. You are thinking about how much it cost you to acquire it from your brother before he pawned it and let it loose within the criminal underworld of London and gave to me in a fit of madness."

Watson closed his eyes, pained. "Yes, the ring I gave you that came to me from many generations. The one made from gold taken as spoil in a war. The one I gave you in hopes that for once you'd not loose a gift I gave you. The ring I hoped you would protect better than my heart. The ring that I hoped would represent a rebirth of our reconnection together, of our hearts being rejoined."

Holmes winced. "Your heart was never in any danger from me, dear Watson."

"I don't think you would like if I brought up the years you were absent from these rooms."

"Oh, let's. A distraction would be better suited to us than this stilted silence filled with your judgement."

Watson considered the question carefully and finally smiled. "Or a case, perhaps?"

Holmes straightened immediately, looking away from Gladstone. "You've a case for me, Watson? I hope it's worthy and won't be a waste of my time. Oh, what am I talking about? So few cases are original now. No, you have nothing for me."

"Oh, no this one is good," Watson said, innocently. "It started last week, on Christmas. I'm sure you remember?"

Holmes nodded. "Yes, yes. What of last Tuesday?"

"Two lodgers awoke to a snow filled day," Watson began, reciting it distantly to keep himself from getting too angry. "One merely rolled over in bed. The other quietly fetched the gift he'd gotten the other and passed it to his lazy room mate."

Holmes growled and started pacing. "Oh, I know this one, Watson. Yes, I remember how excited you were to give me a ring as an expression of your love, that you wanted me to wear it. And I've gone and lost it."

"Then solve it for me," Watson said. "How was the gift lost?"

Holmes sighed. "He ate one of the charcoal lumps. I was attempting to retrieve it from his throat before he could eat it and while I did get the coal back, I lost the ring in the process."

Watson sighed and looked at Gladstone. "So now we are waiting for him to pass it?"

Holmes nodded, still pacing. Watson shook his head. 

Gladstone got up and walked to the door, pawing at it. They both jumped up, in hopeful expectation. They didn't let him out into the street -- wanting to avoid the awkward questions that would arise should they be seen picking through the excrement -- and instead shivered just outside the back door, waiting for Gladstone to pick a spot.

"I think I might put it on a chain, instead," Holmes said quietly. "I work a lot with my hands. The ring will be much safer around my neck and much more easily concealed. Will you go with me to find the chain?"

Watson smiled. "I will."

Holmes hummed, pleased. Watson carefully leaned over so their shoulders bumped. 

"I never meant to injure your heart," Holmes said. "Either then or now with this ring. I try to be careful, but I do ere, I know."

"But you found a solution to better care for this," Watson said. "Demonstrating you can learn these small moments that you dismissed as trivial."

Holmes laughed a little. "It is only with you that I have learned that these are not so trivial as I previously thought. They are in fact invaluable. That is why I accepted your ring. Why I wish to do better. Why I came back home to you."

"A mark of your love. Thank you, Holmes."

"Thank you, my dear Watson, for letting us be reborn in this Christmas season."


End file.
